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When people talk about fintech, the words that come up most often are innovation, disruption, and the future of finance. The industry has transformed the way we pay, move, and manage money in just over a decade. Digital wallets, real-time transfers, and borderless platforms have all become part of our daily lives thanks to fintech’s rapid rise.
But there’s a question that rarely gets asked: who is actually leading this transformation?
When we turned our attention to the C-suites of leading fintech companies, the results were surprising, and a little uncomfortable. The faces behind the products, the ones shaping strategy, technology, and direction, don’t reflect the same diversity as the customers they serve.
In fact, women remain a small minority in fintech’s executive leadership. And where women do hold seats, they are often clustered in roles seen as “supportive” rather than strategic.
So, if fintech is supposed to be the industry of the future, why does its leadership still look so much like the past?
Why gender diversity at the top matters
It’s tempting to think of gender diversity only as a fairness issue, but in business, the stakes go much further. Gender-balanced leadership is consistently linked to better decision-making, stronger governance, and long-term resilience. Companies with diverse executives are less prone to blind spots and groupthink, while also being more innovative when facing disruption.
Fintech in particular cannot ignore this. It is a global industry, serving customers of every background. If leadership teams remain homogenous, there is a real risk of building products that don’t resonate with the people who use them. In short, diversity in fintech leadership is not a “nice-to-have”, it is a competitive advantage.
What the numbers say: a snapshot of fintech’s C-suites
Looking across some of the most influential payments and fintech companies, the variation in female representation is striking. Adyen (50%) and Worldline (40%) stand out as proof that gender parity is achievable, showing what’s possible when diversity is prioritized. Others, such as Mollie (30%) and Airwallex (27%), have made progress, but representation has not yet translated into meaningful influence at the strategy table.
Further down the spectrum, Worldpay (25%) and Klarna (25%) project modernity and consumer-centricity in their branding but lag behind when it comes to leadership diversity. Wise (22%) and Riverty (20%) sit in a zone where women’s voices risk being too few to shift culture. At the bottom, Stripe and Nexi (10%) have almost no female presence at the top, raising uncomfortable questions about how innovative a company can really be if its leadership looks so traditional. The lesson is clear: progress exists, but it is uneven, fragile, and too often limited to a few exceptions rather than the rule.
Not just numbers: which seats do women hold?
The story becomes even more telling when we shift from how many women sit in the C-suite to where they sit. Women are overwhelmingly concentrated in HR (CHRO, 70%), a role vital to culture but often sidelined in strategic decision-making. There is stronger visibility in risk (CRO, 50%) and moderate presence in compliance roles (CCO, 30%), but still far from parity. Representation in marketing, product, operations, and finance (CMO, CPO, COO, CFO) hovers at just 20%, showing how women remain underrepresented in the classic stepping-stones to CEO. At the sharp end, technology (CTO, 10%) and the CEO role (0%) reveal near absence, underlining how women are still excluded from the most powerful and future-defining seats in fintech.
The story beneath the data
On the surface, some companies are making real progress, proving that parity is possible. But when we step back, the broader picture is one of missed opportunities. Fintech celebrates itself as disruptive and progressive, yet in many cases its leadership teams reflect the same old structures it claims to be leaving behind.
This contradiction matters. Without diversity at the top, companies risk slipping into groupthink and overlooking perspectives that could shape better products and stronger strategies. They also risk credibility: customers expect modern, inclusive brands, and companies that fail to live up to this inside their own leadership may undermine their own message. Most importantly, they risk long-term resilience. Innovation depends on fresh thinking, and fresh thinking comes from diverse voices.
What’s next for fintech leadership?
If fintech truly wants to reinvent finance, it also needs to reinvent who gets a seat at the leadership table. This means moving beyond token representation and ensuring women are placed in roles with real influence, not just presence. It means rethinking pipelines to power, by opening up CFO, COO, and CTO roles to diverse candidates so that pathways to CEO positions are no longer blocked. And it means ensuring leadership reflects the diversity of the global customer base fintech serves. The industry has already proven it can change banking, payments, and commerce. The question now is whether it can change itself.
We’ve seen first-hand that change is possible, our piece “Meet the 11 Women Leading the Fintech Revolution” showcases inspiring executives who are already reshaping the industry. Their journeys highlight what fintech can achieve when leadership innovation keeps pace with product innovation.
Final thoughts
The story of women in fintech C-suites is one of contrasts. Some companies have shown that gender balance is possible, while others remain far behind. Overall, women are not only underrepresented, but are often funneled into roles that limit their influence on strategy and innovation. If fintech is to fulfill its promise as the industry of the future, it cannot lead with yesterday’s leadership structures. Innovation in products means little without innovation in leadership. Fintech has changed the way we pay. The bigger test is whether it can also change who gets to lead the way forward.
